Industry 4.0 is ubiquitous and is currently being implemented in different approaches in industry. The plastics processing industry is also committed to this approach and in numerous demonstrations shows the capabilities of Industry 4.0. Here the goal is to gain synergies by digitizing and networking data within the product life cycle and ultimately to increase profitability. In the field of injection-molding production, sensors within the tool provide a way of monitoring the process and making it more transparent. Monitoring the mold cavity pressure in particular has proved useful since it correlates closely to component quality. For a long time now, automated monitoring and scrap segregation by means of mold cavity monitoring has been standard in many sensitive branches of industry and enables companies to make considerable cost savings. Furthermore, bringing together the data collected in a virtual production environment offers further possibilities of monitoring and optimizing not only the individual injection-molding cycle but also the entire production sequence. The basis for this is supplied by sensor technology within the injection mold. This paper describes the current state of tool sensor technology and also future trends in that field and in the further processing of data. This simple, intuitive use of the components and the transparency gained in production act as key factors in the acceptance of the technology and ultimately in the economic advantage achieved.
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